In the follow-up to A Novel Murder, mystery author Jane Hepburn is back and determined to keep her sleuthing skills in the pages of her novels. That is, until she’s invited to a prestigious literary party in London—where the gathering of glamorous attendees may be hiding a killer.
Jane Hepburn has almost made it. After solving the murder of her literary agent at last season’s crime-book festival, Jane receives a burst of internet fame that lands her an invite to a splashy book launch in London. Visiting beloved bookstores along the winding alleyway of Cecil Court, and brushing shoulders with famous writers and the editors and agents who made them stars, Jane is looking forward to a fun, murder-free weekend and a distraction from her own writer’s block. The party might not be for her novel, but still, Jane’s happy to celebrate her far more successful friend with free wine and plenty of books.
However, things take a turn for the worse when the hotshot editor is nowhere to be seen. And they really go south after Jane discovers a body in the bookshop cellar.
To ensure that another event isn’t overshadowed by an unsolved murder, Jane and her two friends—debut novelist and star of the party Natasha Martez and clumsy publicity assistant Daniel Thurston—must put their sleuthing skills to the test. But nothing is as it seems at a party full of attendees with secrets they’d do anything to keep.
Summertime in London. Alfresco drinks, park picnics, and a killer getting away with murder.
Detective Chief Inspector Parker is hunting a ghost. A violent murderer who leaves no DNA at the crime scenes and evades CCTV. How is that possible in one of the most surveilled cities in the world?
There’s nothing to connect the victims either, other than a card with the female symbol on it left in each one’s mouth.
With few clues, the investigation is floundering. Can DCI Parker stay focused even when everything connected to the case starts to feel too close, too familiar, bringing up dark memories he’d rather forget?
To prevent another gruesome crime, he’s going to have to set aside his emotions. But that’s assuming the killer will let him…
TA Müller-King was born in Cape Town, did a post-graduate degree at the London School of Journalism, and worked in magazines for many years.
But an obsession with crime novels was a lifelong thing. As was the desire to merge fiction with real issues, to create stories that entertain but also make you think.
In her first series, that happens with the help of DCI Spider Parker and DS Grace Regan, who stepped out of her head and came to life on the page.
She writes in London and Spain, where she lives with her family – her husband and their two cats.
My thoughts: In a world where violence against women and girls seems never-ending, it’s not really a surprise that someone (even fictionally) decides to take revenge on the sort of people who add to the misery, like a judge who let’s a rapist walk.
Unfortunately taking the law into your own hands is a crime and DCI Peter Parker, known as Spider (for obvious reasons) and his team are assigned the case, which is tricky as there’s not a lot to go on. The killer seems to be forensically aware and leaves no trace, just a sort-of calling card.
As Spider works on the case, he’s distracted by other things, often disappearing on his team, and being unfocused when he is there.
This was a really interesting read and there’s a huge twist that made me gasp. I don’t know where the author intends this series to go next but I’m intrigued to find out.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
Hannah is miserable. Her love life is in ruins, her contract demands a sequel to her bestselling crime debut – and she’s out of ideas.
After a mortifying TV interview, her agent ships her off to a sun-drenched Sicilian villa with a simple order: finish the book. No distractions. No excuses. But inspiration doesn’t strike – murder does.
When a night out ends in murder, Hannah finds herself at the centre of a murder investigation … again.
The police want her out of the way, and the only person who seems to believe her is a young but charming Italian police officer. That is, until she doesn’t.
Soon Hannah is chasing suspects, fleeing crime scenes, and doing whatever it takes to avoid becoming the next victim. She came to write a crime novel. Now she’s trapped inside one.
Jenny Lund Madsen is one of Denmark’s most acclaimed scriptwriters (including the international hits Rita and Follow the Money) and is known as an advocate for better representation for sexual and ethnic minorities in Danish TV and film. She made her debut as a playwright with the critically acclaimed Audition (Aarhus Teater) and her debut literary thriller, Thirty Days of Darkness, first in an addictive new series, won the Harald Mogensen Prize for Best Danish Crime Novel of the year, was shortlisted for the coveted Glass Key Award, longlisted for the CWA Crime in Translation Dagger, and won the Crime Fiction Lover Award for Best Crime Book in Translation. She lives in Denmark with her wife and young family.
My thoughts: Hannah wrote a brilliant crime novel after her involvement with a murder in Iceland, but now she’s stuck again. She’s under contract for another crime novel, but wants to go back to her literary fiction roots. So her agent, Bastian sends her to a friend’s villa in Sicily to write.
And she gets involved in another murder. She’s even a suspect, which is crazy because she barely knows the victim. The police don’t believe her, her lawyer doesn’t seem bothered either. What can she do? Well, she’ll just have to solve the case and prove her own innocence. Obviously. And then write a book all about it.
Chaos ensues, especially after her Icelandic lover (with husband and children in tow) shows up, Hannah has a holiday fling with the one police officer who believes her, and after discovering whose house she’s staying, calls the one person she vowed never to, because she really needs help.
Hannah’s life is completely crazy, despite her insistence that it isn’t, and maybe she should stop leaving home as she seems to encounter murder everywhere she goes.
It’s actually a really funny book and would make a great movie on Netflix, the sort of film I would definitely watch (I love a crazy crime caper). More please!
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
From the top of the Ferris wheel, Ellie can see everything. Her life, laid out beneath her. Ellie looks up. She wants freedom.
Down below, her little sister and mother wait, watching as people bundle off the wheel and disappear into the crowd. No Ellie. Must be the next box.
But the Ferris wheel continues to turn.
When Ellie goes missing on the first day of Schueberfouer, the police are dismissive, keen not to attract negative attention on one of Luxembourg’s most important events.
Probation officer, Cate Austin, has moved for a fresh start, along with her daughter Amelia, to live with her police detective boyfriend, Olivier Massard. But when she realises just how casually he is taking the disappearance of Ellie, Cate decides to investigate matters for herself.
She discovers Luxembourg has a dark heart. With its geographical position, could it be the centre of a child trafficking ring? As Cate comes closer to discovering Ellie’s whereabouts she uncovers a hidden world, placing herself in danger, not just from traffickers, but from a source much closer to home.
My thoughts: Cate has left the probation service and her messy family court case behind and moved to Luxembourg with her daughter Amelia and boyfriend, police detective Olivier.
When the older sister of Amelia’s school friend goes missing at the carnival, Cate is dragged into the case via her sort of friendship with the girls’ mother Bridget. Olivier is leading the case but won’t discuss it with Cate.
As the days pass, it becomes increasingly less likely that Ellie will be found, and that’s before Bridget confesses something that changes how the police view the case.
Meanwhile a newly arrived teenage girl attempts to understand her new life and the world of undocumented migrants that she finds herself in.
Clever and relevant, this is another brilliant book from Ruth Dugdall that had me absolutely gripped and will get its hooks into you too. By placing the reader right there in the middle of everything, with sweet Amina who just wants a better life, with terrified Ellie who wants to go home and with Cate, who thought she was doing the right thing in leaving Suffolk, but realises that she was really just running away from her troubles. Cannot wait for the next book.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
When you are a prisoner of your secrets, the death of shame is the only path to liberty
Annabel Banks was promised work as a maid with a prestigious Edinburgh family. But on her first day, she’s nowhere to be found. Concerned relatives contact Sarah Fisher to help. Sarah might know her way around the city – its light sides and dark – but soon she’ll discover the plight of dozens of girls ensnared in its many brothels: lured, abused and left ruined in the eyes of the world.
Meanwhile, a prominent society figure throws himself from the Scott Monument. Will Raven is asked to establish whether the death was suicide or if someone else was involved. Drawing upon real historical events, The Death of Shame takes the Raven and Fisher series into a treacherous labyrinth of shame and the pitfalls of a culture obsessed with moral purity.
Ambrose Parry is a pseudonym for a collaboration between Chris Brookmyre and Marisa Haetzman. The couple are married and live in Scotland. Chris Brookmyre is the international bestselling and multi-award-winning author of over twenty novels. Dr Marisa Haetzman is a consultant anaesthetist of twenty years’ experience, whose research for her Master’s degree in the History of Medicine uncovered the material upon which this series, which begun with The Way of All Flesh, is based. The Way of all Flesh was longlisted for both the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award and the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year. @ambroseparry
My thoughts: i really like this series, probably because it’s well written, well researched and the cases are so fascinating. Blending historical figures of Edinburgh’s past with the fictional Will Raven and Sarah Fisher, who dig into mysteries surrounding the medical fraternity of the city.
This time, it’s Will’s father-in-law at the centre of the case. Having apparently committed suicide, from the Scott Monument, but Will’s wife, Eugenie, insists her father would never do that. Will discovers that he was being blackmailed. Could that be why the eminent doctor took his own life?
Meanwhile Sarah has been asked to find her late husband’s niece, Annabel, who arrived in Edinburgh for a job as a nursery maid but then disappeared. Has she met a terrible end or is she as tough as Sarah and somehow survived?
As Will and Sarah investigate, an unwanted figure from Will’s estranged family appears and Sarah finds herself in terrible danger.
Another absolutely gripping adventure for the two doctors (Sarah’s determined to be one) and investigators, which finally also gives us some answers about their relationship too.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
Discover nine dark and twisted mysteries from bestselling author Rachel Amphlett in this second collection of disturbing short stories.
This second page-turning collection features The Date, in which Lucy and Michael meet every year for a sinister anniversary; in All Night Long Zoe soon wishes she wasn’t working the late shift; and in A Burning Question a young Detective Kay Hunter suspects a serial arsonist is targeting a small community of river dwellers with chilling results…
Case Files: Collected Short Crime Stories Volume 2: The Date The Back Nine The Protégé Devil of a Favor Six Underground Three Ways to Die A Toxic Remedy All Night Long A Burning Question
Case Files: short crime fiction stories that will have you on the edge of your seat.
Before turning to writing, USA Today bestselling crime author Rachel Amphlett played guitar in bands, worked as a TV and film extra, dabbled in radio, and worked in publishing as an editorial assistant.
She now wields a pen instead of a plectrum and writes crime fiction with over 30 crime novels and short stories featuring spies, detectives, vigilantes, and assassins.
A keen traveller and accidental private investigator, Rachel has both Australian and British citizenship.
My thoughts: This collection of short crime stories is enjoyable and clever. Some of the stories are very short, clever little snapshots of killers and thieves, detectives and alligators!
I really liked these bite size tales, some self contained and others feel like little bits of much bigger stories. Perfect for dipping into when you need a crime fix.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
A woman vanishes from a remote lake in Cumbria. All that’s left behind are her abandoned clothes, a ringing phone, and a stretch of dark water that won’t give her back. And everyone here knows that Sleddale Tarn keeps its silence.
Moses Crow knows this place too. He grew up here, before he went to prison, before he became the kind of man who scans every room for the nearest exit. When the case reignites rumours about a girl who disappeared in the local caves, Moses is summoned home to help the family who raised him keep the police at arm’s length.
As the search intensifies, so does the question he’s been avoiding for decades: what really happened here, all those years ago? And what will it cost to drag the family’s secrets into the light?
David Mark spent more than fifteen years as a journalist, including seven years as a crime reporter with the Yorkshire Post, before becoming an author. He is the author of the Sunday Times bestseller Dark Winter and has been championed by Val McDermid, Peter James, Mick Herron and Martina Cole. He lives in rural Northumberland with his family.
My thoughts: Moses was fostered by the wealthy and messed up family, the Rinkov-Torsneys, at the centre of this book. When Oksana, the carer for patriarch Andrei drowns despite being a strong swimmer, his brother Hugo calls on him to return to the family home and look after things.
When first a journalist, and then a former police inspector appear, both following the death and a string of other similar drownings, Moses is in their sights but he knows he didn’t kill anyone, so who did?
Intense, sinister and compelling, this book hooks you in and carries you along with Moses as he attempts to unravel the family’s dark secrets and find a killer.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
It’s a TV drama with a set full of secrets, but who’s calling the shots?
A dream role in a hit TV drama is not all it seems when actor Holly Elding is warned to turn down the part and run for her life!
A missing actress, a superyacht full of stolen art, an FBI man with a hidden agenda, a chateauset to burst into flames, a love triangle and a web of deceit.
Can Holly and disgraced cop turned stuntman Josh Corton bring down the gang before they’re written out for good?
A fast -moving adventure thriller set in England, Spain, the Greek islands and France.
As a TV reporter, producer and newsreader for both BBC East and ITV Anglia, Phil Johnson covered everything from tracking down criminals in Spain and going on high octane-police chases, to interviewing pop stars, politicians and celebrities. Writing as PN Johnson, Phil’s books aim to entertain, with thrilling crime mysteries in exciting locations.
My thoughts: The scam being run is clever but the criminals haven’t been as smart as they thought when actor Holly and stuntman Josh catch on to their scheme. Chasing the stolen items across Europe with the help of Spanish police inspector Blanca, they thwart kidnappers and thieves, gunmen and escape from an exploding chateau. Action packed indeed!
If Holly and Josh ever decide to quit acting, they’d make quite the investigative duo.
Really entertaining and enjoyable adventure and a satisfying ending as the bad guys go down for their crimes and the brave duo finally admit their feelings for one another. What might they uncover on their next acting gig?
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
Every lie has its cost. In money or in blood . . .
Suave, suited winemaker Adam Gillespie has it all. A thriving business. A designer home in a leafy Birmingham suburb. And a little black book full of lovers.
Until, the drab Monday morning he’s found dead at his desk. A carrier bag masks his chiseled features — and surely smothered his final cries.
Detective Tom Mariner’s team are ready to chalk it up as a tragic accident. A kink gone horribly wrong.
But Mariner’s not so sure. The burn marks around the victim’s wrists tell a darker story.
And this isn’t the only mysterious death on Mariner’s patch.
Elsewhere, an elderly woman is found floating in a murky canal.
Mariner knows he should leave well alone. He’s supposed to be on leave. Recovering from the case that almost cost him everything . . .
He somehow survived, battered not beaten. But his health — and his relationship — are hanging by a thread.
Chris Collett grew up in a Norfolk seaside town where she worked in a boarding house (now defunct) a local bakery (closed down) and a crisp factory (razed to the ground). After leaving school she trained, in Liverpool, as a teacher for children with learning disabilities, including autism.
Now a recently retired university lecturer, Chris is married with two grown up children and lives in Birmingham, UK on DI Tom Mariner’s ‘patch’. She has published short stories, teaches creative and crime writing and is a manuscript assessor for the Crime Writers Association.
My thoughts: What could the murder of a wine merchant and the accidental death of an old woman have in common? Nothing, or so it seems. The police think Adam Gillespie was probably killed over a wine certification or a theft in his warehouse, and the elderly lady probably fell in the canal.
But DCI Tom Mariner’s not so sure. He’s on medical leave, but that doesn’t stop him from thinking and after being asked to look into the drowning by the dead woman’s niece, he’s putting the pieces together and uncovering a conspiracy and a criminal taking advantage of the most vulnerable people around.
Meanwhile one of his team is concerned about their neighbour, a university student who has been acting rather strangely. Has he found another crime in the city?
Clever, full of twists and with an ingenious connection between the two victims and the least likely criminal mastermind you might ever come across. Very enjoyable.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
How do you solve a murder when you’re shut out of the investigation?
Young detectives, Robinson Ellington Foxe and Amy Kennard, don’t want to work at Coventry’s Moat Lane police station. Neither do their colleagues want them there. But it’s the last chance for two officers for whom doing the right thing has cost them their futures.
Despite a murder on their patch, they are lumbered with investigating a series of high-profile burglaries. But when a thief is killed in the house of an influential businessman, Foxe and Kennard are convinced it is linked to their cases and want in.
The official investigation is a whitewash, but Robbie and Amy keep investigating anyway. As they uncover a web of deceit and corruption, reaching to the very top of the force, their own difficult histories are weaponised against them, and they find themselves fighting for their careers and their lives.
Paul Gitsham is the author of the Foxe and Kennard British detective series, the DCI Warren Jones series and the standalone domestic thriller, The Aftermath.
Brought up in Coventry, he started his career as a biologist. After gaining a PhD in molecular biology, he worked in laboratories in Manchester and Toronto, before retraining as a science teacher.
Along the way he had spells as the world’s most over-qualified receptionist and spent time working for a major UK bank, ensuring that terrorists, foreign dictators and other international ne’er do wells hadn’t embarrassed the institution by managing to deposit their ill-gotten gains in a Children’s Trust Fund.
Paul’s final school reports from primary school said that he would never achieve anything if his handwriting didn’t improve. A somewhat kinder note urged him to become the next Roald Dahl. If anything, his handwriting has got worse and unless Mr Dahl also wrote police procedurals under a pseudonym, he has failed on both counts.
Paul is a member of the Crime Writers Association and the International Thriller Writers organisation and lives with his wife in the West Midlands in a house with more books than shelf space.
Instagram/Threads @paulgitsham Facebook@dcijones (Appears as Paul Gitsham Author) X/Twitter @dcijoneswriter
My thoughts: Foxe and Kennard are both new to the team at West Midlands Police, he was with the Met and she’s from Manchester, but they’re put together to work on a string of burglaries while the rest of the team are dealing with a murder.
However, as they investigate, they start noticing strange coincidences, and with a bit more work, they’re not coincidences, they’re part of something bigger. All of the victims posted about being away on Instagram and they all had safes installed by the same company. But then there’s a few outliers, and that’s even more intriguing.
Both have slightly complicated pasts, both left their previous roles under a shadow and now they’re struggling to fit in. But they’re also excellent detectives and in solving their cases, they might also be solving the cases the rest of the team are working on.
A really good start to a new series, with great protagonists and an interesting start, having solved a huge case and exposed some darkness in the police that needed to be dealt with.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
ramblingmads 